Stranger in a Faraway Land
by multiplicities
Summary: The members of three tennis teams have been dropping like flies. Someone must really want to get rid of the competition.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

_

* * *

When Death turns up, it is not necessarily a cause for fear. Death signals a time of change, the end of one life and the possibility for the beginning of a better life. When upside down, it represents stagnation and lost opportunities._

For middle school students, Sundays are heaven on earth.

Echizen Ryoma had big plans for his day when he woke up at noon. His plans involved challenging the old man to another match; more tennis on the street courts; and, most importantly, lots and lots of Ponta.

Maybe he could challenge Momo-senpai and have the loser pay for lunch.

If you peeled back the layers of arrogance and childish snarkiness, Ryoma might actually admit that Saturdays made him feel that the world was not that mada mada dane.

Even the upcoming experience would not damp his feelings towards Sundays.

As proved by Karupin's foray into Ryoma's school, the rookie tennis player's beloved cat was allowed to roam freely.

Karupin was very good at dodging people, vehicles, and football players in miniskirts.

Unfortunately, that day Karupin was very unlucky in choice of timing and landed in front of a fast-moving truck.

Echizen rushed in. He pushed Karupin out of the way and pulled up on the sidewalk, then looked back, relieved.

His body was lying on the road and the truck had just done a hit-and-run.

Echizen's last thought was of regret. If he'd known this would happen, then he would definitely have bought that limited edition fountain of Ponta, his father's protests that you could buy much more interesting things be damned.

_Baka oyaji._

_

* * *

The Moon is associated with emotions, imagination, and illusions. It can provide the light to see the way. When upright, the moon symbolizes artistic inspiration; when upside down, it warns that there may be lies and deceit nearby._

The morning of the same day Echizen had been run over by a truck, Fuji Syuusuke placed his phone down after a lovely conversation with his baby brother, smiling sweetly.

It looked as though bribing St. Rudolph students to place cacti into a certain strategist's bed had worked, if Yuuta's description of a haggard-looking Mizuki was any indication of success.

No, of course Fuji did not have a brother complex. He was just… doing his duty as a brother.

Fuji reached for a tube of extra-spicy, killer wasabi and squirted it onto his cereal, still smiling brilliantly.

He took a bite and steam poured out of his ears. Fuji's soul shot out of his head and didn't go back in again.

_Note to self: Nee-chan was right. Again._

_

* * *

The Hierophant is a moral and spiritual guide, symbolizing tradition and knowledge. When right-side up, it shows a possibility of marriage and legal responsibilities. The upside-down Hierophant symbolizes making one's own rules and confusion regarding the self._

The captain of Seigaku's tennis team was currently finishing up his homework.

Unlike other students, he was highly disciplined. While people like Echizen and Momo might be content with frittering away their time on food and games, Tezuka planned to use his Sunday wisely, first completing his schoolwork and then training.

Tezuka Kunimitsu was truly a model student, boring as that is.

At least he didn't spend the morning tormenting his younger brother.

He finished typing up a ten-page paper on the relation between economic status and manufacture of teddy bears, then printed it out, knowing he had written a perfect paper.

Correction: He tried to print his paper. But then the computer exploded in his face.

Shards of glass from both Tezuka's glasses and the monitor drove into his brain, killing him instantly.

He had no time to think of anything, but if he had had time, he might have thought, _"See, parents? Homework really does kill children."_

Except this was Tezuka, so it's actually rather unlikely.

But don't worry, Tezuka-san, your death helped save dozens of children from having to complete their homework. Your funeral will be an excellent excuse.

Congratulations.

_

* * *

The High Priestess is associated with intuition and female wisdom; negative associations include secrets hidden from oneself and emotional insecurity. She can represent an important woman or a guide to the inner self._

_Strength represents both mental and physical strength through struggle. When it is right-side up, it shows victory over oppression or challenge. Otherwise, it means defeat._

Momoshiro had just been to the video arcade and gotten his ego rather soundly thrashed by a girl at a shooting game.

Luckily, he had not been too crushed by the defeat.

As he left, Momo was torn between two difficult choices.

Should he go bother Echizen, or go to the tennis courts and hope to see Ann? Friend or girl-you-have-a-crush-on-but-insults-you-all-the-time?

Momoshiro Takeshi headed for the street tennis courts.

Kaidoh Kaoru had eaten a traditional meal, using chopsticks with clear finesse and skill, should one ever see past his hiss.

Really, Kaidoh was such a sweet, kind little boy.

He trained every day, most of it jogging. The endurance player was currently on his forty-fifth round around his neighborhood.

In a practical application of Murphy's Law, Momoshiro and Kaidoh could not wander around the streets without bumping into each other.

Momoshiro was on one side of a street, while Kaidoh rounded the corner. Naturally, they bumped into each other.

Momoshiro started yelling, with several "Mamushi"s tossed in; Kaidoh "fssh"-ed.

Usually they would have kept yelling until someone stopped them or both stomped off.

This time, a combination of Momo's constant burger consumption and anger caused a heart vessel to burst. He was dead in moments.

Kaidoh was much more physically fit, but not fast enough to avoid his rival falling onto him. The full weight of Momo's burger infested body hit his neck.

_Snap._

_

* * *

The Hermit is a sign of advice and patience at the best of times. Negative associations include stubbornness and arrogance. He suggests meditation and contemplation before making a decision; when upside down, he symbolizes hasty choices and refusal of guidance._

As a matter of fact, Inui Sadaharu was not a sadist. That position was reserved for people like Fuji, though Inui would never say it for fear of finding cacti on his toilet again.

Poor desert plants.

Inui had been harvesting Venus flytraps to see how they tasted in health drinks. Really, it could have been much worse. At least they weren't cockroaches.

Honestly, he had only the best intentions for his team in mind. Just look at the way he cared for Kaidoh.

Besides, his drinks really were very nutritious.

It is a proven fact that Penal Tea made Eiji 30% faster and Ryoma's eyes 150% larger. It had not been found to increase sadism, strangely.

In order to test Inui's Sweet Delicious Bubbly Smoothie, version 4, he took a small swallow.

He did not die, system having been made immune to his own cooking years ago.

Instead, he found himself going blind. Inui pushed up his currently useless glasses, staying perfectly calm.

This had happened before, but Inui was fairly sure it would pass.

He calmly placed his drink about twelve inches from the corner of the desk, calmly groped for the glass before it crashed, and missed by about a mile.

His flailing arm caught the window and the rest of Inui's body followed.

Head went down. Pants flew up.

_Calculation incorrect._

_

* * *

The Hanged Man is associated with flexibility and rebirth, and less positively with materialism and a tendency to be easily influenced. He can show self-sacrifice or the ability to adapt; upside down, the Hanged Man represents selfishness and missed opportunities._

_The Chariot symbolizes good news and self-confidence, though it can represent arrogance and tyranny as well. Right-side up, it stands for travel and change. When the Chariot is in the reverse position, someone may be overly arrogant and there are possibilities of frustration due to delay._

The Golden Pair did not, contrary to popular opinion, spend every moment together.

Out of an entire day, they only spent about twenty hours, twenty-three minutes, and thirty-seven seconds together.

This was shorter than the time Inui and Kaidoh spent together, by approximately fifty milliseconds.

Kikumaru Eiji had headed over to Oishi's house at 5:30.

In the morning.

He climbed into Oishi's room through the window; thanks to his acrobatic play, he had no difficulty getting in.

"Eiji, what are you doing...?" the long-suffering Oishi asked sleepily.

"Wake up, Oishi!" Eiji chirped far too cheerfully for that time of day. "I want to show you something!"

He dragged Oishi with him into the bathroom.

Mind out of gutter, please.

Eiji pulled out a tube of toothpaste and got out a spare toothbrush.

"Look, Oishi!" Eiji pointed to his toothpaste. "I got a new brand!"

Oishi peered at the tube and noticed no difference from Eiji's previous brand.

"See? It made my teeth whiter!"

Oishi peered harder at Eiji's sparkling teeth. No difference.

"Here, I'll brush my teeth so you can see!"

Eiji enthusiastically twisted the faucet, which snapped off in his hand. He dropped it.

The Golden Pair stared for a moment then scrambled for the faucet. Somehow, their heads bumped and they got stuck together in the sink.

Oishi's horn-like protrusions plugged up the drain and water started to fill the sink.

_The two seniors couldn't get out._

* * *

Kawamura Takeshi had woken up to do what he did most days: help his father by lifting crates.

Just like every other normal teenage boy.

Strangely enough, Kawamura found himself making rudimentary mistakes. Not wanting to worry his father, he kept on chopping fish and rolling rice into seaweed even when the knife slipped out of his hand for the umpteenth time and somehow landed within millimeters of his head. Again.

Any other boy would have continued helping his father too, right?

Kawamura Sr. thought something was strange. His son usually wasn't so clumsy. Unless…

"Takeshi, you were taste-testing the sake again last night, weren't you? Look how clumsy it makes you!"

"Actually, father… well, I didn't… it wasn't…"

Having learned what to do from Fuji-kun, Kawamura Sr. handed his son the just-in-case-a-customer-got-troublesome racket.

Death ran away, frightened of the "BURNING" and "GREAT-O" back in the restaurant and decided not to go back until the shouting maniac had let go of the racket.

After proclaiming loudly that he had not touched any alcohol last night, Kawamura went back to chopping. Still holding his tennis racket.

Death stayed away entirely for fifty years.


	2. Chapter 2

_When the Sun appears, it symbolizes happiness, fulfillment, poor reasoning, and inflated ego. It is eagerly welcomed and heralds happiness; the upside-down Sun warns about delays and arrogance._

Be awed by the magnificence of Atobe Keigo's bed.

It was possibly the most expensive firetrap that anyone could buy.

Silk and velvet pillows, high-thread-count sheets, curtains draped over, etc. All in magnificent shades of purple.

Indeed, it was a wonder that the thing had never caught fire.

A fire would have been a glorious way to die, Atobe had mused before. It wouldn't leave a body, and he could come back to bask in the adoration of his worshippers

Atobe did not die from fire that day, or any other day. Instead, he simply turned over and was smothered by his favorite fuchsia pillow.

Unlike those Seigaku plebeians, at least Atobe's hair was in perfect condition (slightly wavy with a hint of majestic shine) when he passed away. (Though according to popular rumors, it's fake hair anyway, so it doesn't count.)

_

* * *

The Empress represents birth and motherhood at best, over-protectiveness and suppressed artistry at worst. When right-side up, the birth of an actual child or a project might be on the way. The Empress reversed is a warning of financial troubles or a smothering influence._

Kabaji Munehiro was heading steadily to Atobe's house. House, in this case, referring to a four-story sprawling mansion with gilded façade and ornamental columns.

Kabaji's house was only three and a half stories high.

He remembered the conversation he had had with his team captain yesterday.

"Kabaji will wake ore-sama up at 11. Ne, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

…Or something like that.

He was currently making his way there.

Kabaji walked. Crossed a street. Kept on walking. Crossed another street.

Maybe he was contemplating the mysteries of the universe or working out a proof. After all, anything's possible.

Especially since Kabaji had just won the regional chess tournament for the fourth time in a row.

He finally made his way to Atobe's modest house, and Sebastian let him in without any question.

Kabaji made his way into Atobe's bedroom. It was exactly 10:59, one second from eleven in the morning as Kabaji opened the door.

Not noticing how still Atobe was, Kabaji touched him lightly on the shoulder.

One second passed. Then two, and then an entire minute. Atobe still hadn't woken up.

Having failed to follow an order, Kabaji self-destructed.

_And the world had just lost its next Einstein._

_

* * *

The World is a complete whole, and shows success in all endeavors. On the other hand, it can also mean stagnation and delays before success. Like the snake swallowing its own tail, this is the change from the end of cycle to the beginning of another._

_It wasn't just the glasses,_ Oshitari Yuushi knew.

The laid-back pose did wonders, and his voice topped it off to ensure that his popularity ranking was slightly higher than Atobe's, at least during the times that Atobe wasn't showing off.

This added up to all of fifteen minutes a month, but it was still something Oshitari could figuratively hold over Atobe's head.

As a result of winning over Atobe in something, even if it was only occasionally, Oshitari had gotten used to having periodic attempts made on his life.

The most memorable one had to be the one where Atobe made Kabaji keep Oshitari in a private theater in the Atobe mansion to watch the saddest romance movies he could scrounge up.

Atobe had been hoping that Oshitari would cry himself to death. It came close, but Kabaji had mimicked the genius and cried himself into unconsciousness first.

That day, Atobe had charged one of his most devoted servants with the task of getting rid of his competition for good.

The servant had sworn to do her best to frighten Oshitari to death, no matter the cost.

She had slept outside his door, address courtesy of the other girls at Hyoutei, the entire night. She knew she was required to wake up before the genius did, but she was just so _tired_.

Oshitari came out of the door – and tripped over the servant.

He immediately died a thousand fiery deaths, ashamed that he was guilty of such an un-cool action.

All the fan girls at school would mourn and cry rivers of blood, no doubt.

Oh, and his older sister would probably be upset too.

_

* * *

The Lovers symbolize desire and relationships, though the less positive side shows lust, a moral lapse, and indecision. The Lovers also allow their hearts to rule their head, and a change in attitude might be for the best. A new decision could affect the rest of their lives._

_Optimism, joy, and excitement are trademarks of the Fool, though naïveté and immaturity are associated with the Fool as well. When the Fool turns up, it can be a sign that a new journey with its own trials is about to begin._

Mukahi Gakuto had a secret weapon to win against anyone, eventually.

Even if that Kikumaru managed to beat him in acrobatic play through some stroke of pure luck, Kikumaru could never win against him in his specialty. No one could.

See, Mukahi could make his voice go inhumanly shrill and irritating at will. And he could keep at it for hours.

Unless you gagged him, but tying and gagging Gakuto up never worked, thanks to his flexibility.

Akutagawa Jirou also had a special ability, but no one who had met him for five minutes could call it a secret.

Jirou could fall asleep anywhere, in any position, at any time. It was incredible.

His ability also had the positive effect of keeping him safe from Mukahi's secret ability, talking someone until they decided to kill him out of self-defense.

"Oi, sleeping beauty! Wake up already; I want to beat you in tennis!"

Yawn. "Gakuto…? Too tired… not enough…"

Gakuto felt like hitting someone. He was… not good enough to play against?

He wanted to beat Jirou to death with a stick. So he did.

Jirou never woke up. It's a rather negative side effect of sleeping anywhere, anytime – once you do, you can't stop.

As Mukahi stared down at his teammate's dead body, he regretted that he had to die so young and never get that video game he had wanted for ages.

Since Atobe would do something embarrassing and fatal to him if he ever found out, Mukahi decided to jump ship.

With incredible resourcefulness, Gakuto found a ship within four hours. Ignoring the idiots trying to stop him, he made his way – no one could stop _him_ – onto the ship.

He jumped into the water. Note: he couldn't quite swim. A sort of lopsided dog paddle, but not swim.

As the spectators watched the doomed, doubly talented, clearly troubled adolescent flounder and disappear under the water, they were all thinking the same thing.

_That's a girl, right?_

_

* * *

The Star represents hope and generosity, though it can also show self-doubt and a lack of trust. In both its correct and reversed position, the Star is a lucky sign and brings gifts._

_The Wheel of Fortune has to do with cycles, both towards good luck and bad luck. When the fates are kind, the Wheel of Fortune turns towards rewards and an end to problems, but even when misfortune turns up, the wheel will keep turning._

Ootori Choutarou and Shishido Ryou had become exceptionally good friends after Shishido had gotten back onto the team.

There were times when Shishido's cynicism had bothered even Ootori, and Ootori's kindness and sincerity tended to grate on Shishido's nerves occasionally.

However, the two could never stay mad at each other for long, though it depressed Shishido that _he_ was always the first to apologize and say that he was wrong.

Seeing Choutarou mad was like kicking a puppy. A gray one, bigger than Shishido would ever be.

It still made him feel horribly guilty.

They were currently going into a store because Atobe had complained that Shishido's cap was getting too smelly.

"'_If you don't get rid of that monstrosity right away, then ore-sama will have you kicked off the team. Ne, Kabaji?'_" Shishido mimicked bitterly. "His wardrobe is more of a monstrosity than my cap is!"

"Shishido-san, I'm sure he wasn't trying to insult you," Ootori tried to act as the voice of reason.

Shishido stomped into the store before Choutarou could catch up and picked up a cap. It looked exactly like the one he already had on, but he went into the changing room anyway.

"Excuse me; I think my friend just came in here?" Choutarou asked meekly upon sight of the saleslady.

She gave him a rather creepy smile and led him to a door.

The gray-haired tennis player went in.

_Click._

As it happened, the saleslady was a yaoi fan girl. She was sure the shorter spiky-haired one would be ecstatic to be locked together with his crush.

Shishido obviously showed gratitude only through increasingly profanity-laced shouting.

Even though she had been told never to let the door be locked if someone was inside, the saleslady knew this was for a good cause.

Except for one problem. The room had no ventilation.

_Together, the Silver Pair could do anything. Anything, except get out of a locked room._


	3. Chapter 3

_The Devil is usually feared, though it can be associated with long-term commitment in relationships. Other associations are not so positive, including lust, anger, and tyranny. It could be a warning to change self-destructive ways._

_When the Tower turns up, it is usually the worst of signs. There might a sudden upheaval, perhaps a disaster, though it is possible to emerge stronger. If upside-down, the Tower represents unnecessary suffering._

Kirihara Akaya was usually a truculent troublemaker. Just look at his tennis.

Most people didn't understand that Kirihara's style was just as legitimate a playing style as anyone else's. It wasn't that he wanted to put Tachibana in the hospital, but he would never regret it either.

In any competition, the only thing that matters is winning.

At least Mura-buchou understood. The rest of Kirihara's team, too.

Kirihara refused to lose, which was why he had gone to his captain's house at dawn, knowing that his captain was baking peanut butter cookies.

Even if it choked him, he'd make sure there was none left for Marui.

It had nothing to do with the fact that Yukimura's cookies tasted wonderful even to Kirihara, who didn't like sweets.

It definitely wasn't because Marui had taken his favorite teddy bear, which had been given to him by Mura-buchou. Honestly.

"It's not fair!" Kirihara wailed, cramming cookies into his mouth.

Yukimura smiled gently. Kirihara felt himself melt a little inside.

"_Niou_ was the one who told me to take his precious bubble gum. Why couldn't he take revenge on _Niou_, or something?" More cookies.

Yukimura smiled gently. Kirihara melted a little more.

"How did he even find out it was me, anyway?" He started on his ninety-ninth cookie and grabbed another one.

A hundred cookies really aren't good for anyone. Kirihara's stomach had been protesting since the forty-fifth cookie and finally decided to give up. It burst.

Yukimura smiled gently. He had been dead for an hour already.

Kirihara had always thought Mura-buchou was too good for this world.

_

* * *

Justice was justice, the search for truth and integrity. Justice reversed is prejudice and bad judgment, even when in the right. When it appears, good fortune may appear as a result of former good deeds._

Like Seigaku's Tezuka, Yagyuu Hiroshi had been doing his homework on this beautiful Sunday.

Unlike Tezuka, he was writing an essay on how the use of corrective lenses was directly related to intelligence and financial fortune.

It would, of course, earn a perfect score.

After finishing up his essay, Yagyuu started his math problems. Rows of perfectly shaped equations filled the page.

Finally, he was done and began reading a book. It had been given to him by a girl in his class, who had recommended it highly. Being a gentleman, Yagyuu had accepted it politely and even planned to spend his entire afternoon, if necessary, reading it.

He opened it and started reading.

By the time he reached the tenth page, his face was an almost pretty shade of green and his eyes behind the glasses had gone wide.

This was one of the most ridiculous romantic novels Yagyuu had ever seen. Why would any girl fall in love with a boy who ignored her half the time and insulted her the rest of the time? He wasn't even sure that the male protagonist knew the female protagonist's name. The flowery prose and exaggerated metaphors only made it worse.

For some reason, a boy with a white cap perpetually on his head popped into Yagyuu's mind. He ignored it.

Despite the feeling of nails being dragged across his body and twisting through his muscles getting worse with each succeeding word, Yagyuu persevered. He would never fail to live up to his reputation as a gentleman.

This horrible excuse for a book would not get the better of him, Yagyuu determined even as the nails stabbing through him changed into knives.

As his eyes drifted shut, though the words were still branded into his brain, Yagyuu still felt triumphant.

But that was alright.

He had finished the book.

_Note: the female protagonist's object of affection had never noticed her and went on to bigger and better things. She would stay behind and pine for him forever._

_

* * *

The Magician represents individuality and power, but also trickery and deception. New opportunities will appear, should one have the will and resourcefulness to see them through. However, beware of trusting the wrong person._

Niou Masaharu whistled cheerfully, decimating another person on the tennis courts.

He hadn't even needed to take his weights off.

Life was good for Rikkaidai's trickster. There was no school today; he had tricked the sugar-freak and the brat into a competition of seeing who could steal more from the other, providing endless entertainment for him; and finally, Niou had just crushed the moron who had arrogantly challenged him.

The moron was angry, face shifting from crimson to vermilion to puce and back rapidly.

How dare this rat-tailed guy humiliate him in front of his gang members and girlfriend!

_He would make him pay._

"Anyone else want a go?" Niou turned around nonchalantly, feral smile in place. As if his last match had meant nothing.

The moron, with his full moronic judgment, ran up behind Niou and stuck his gangster-patented knife into Niou's back.

In full view of the entire public tennis court.

Niou collapsed, but not before stabbing the moron back in an extremely sensitive place, above his thighs but under his stomach.

Turnabout is always fair play, right?

The impromptu crowd felt very sorry for the moron, as his girlfriend dumped him in front of everyone.

_

* * *

Judgment signifies that there is a potential for rebirth and absolution. When right-side up, rewards for past efforts are coming. Judgment reversed, however, symbolizes delays due to former mistakes and fear._

The christened sugar-freak rushed to Yukimura's house, anticipating eating those delicious cookies.

Then Marui passed by a pastry shop, kept running, then screeched to a halt.

Well, he needed calories to keep his stamina up, so…

Wallet gone somewhat lighter and flatter after Marui Bunta finished off three chocolate and apple pastries, he continued moving.

Marui was back on the streets, headed straight for Yukimura's house.

Except…

He passed by an ice cream shop. It wouldn't matter if he just got one, would it?

True to his word, Marui only bought one ice cream cone. It just happened to have one scoop each of the store's thirty-two flavors, but it still counted as only one cone.

Marui's wallet was completely empty now, so he continued to his destination, sure that nothing could stop him.

Within three paces, he was greeted by a neon sign proclaiming "Ten Cakes for Free If You Can Eat Them All."

Marui was in heaven.

Somewhat more stuffed, he let himself into Yukimura's house and entered the kitchen.

He didn't notice Yukimura's cooling corpse or Kirihara's bloodied body. All Marui cared about was the empty plate in front of him.

He crashed onto his knees, overcome by sheer despair and grief.

_This is what it means to die of disappointment._

_

* * *

Temperance represents the ability to control oneself as well as harmony in relationships, though it can also represent a lack of foresight and quarrels. Moderation is key to getting a desirable outcome._

As usual, Yanagi Renji started off the day by reading the newspaper from cover to cover. According to his daily horoscope, there was trouble ahead but he could get through it. The horoscope also warned him to be careful of what he ate and predicted that a tall dark stranger would soon enter his life.

Yanagi believed in cold, hard data, not random fortunes that could be applied to anyone.

Too bad. If he had taken it more seriously, he might have been better prepared for what laid ahead.

Inui had recently sent Yanagi a new invention, claiming that it had the potential to increase Yanagi's health and tennis skills by 1.05%.

He had heard dubious tales about his former partner's drinks, but Yanagi also knew that Inui regularly gave his team members his drinks. Considering that Seigaku had won the nationals, perhaps there was some merit in at least trying it out.

If Yanagi noticed at least a .05% increase in his abilities, he would make sure to ask Inui for more to give to the Rikkai members.

Taking a deep breath and chanting Rikkaidai's mantra silently, Yanagi drank the concoction in one gulp.

Stars exploded behind Yanagi's closed eyelids. It looked rather pretty.

Disoriented by Inui's evil concoction, Yanagi got up and fumbled for the bathroom.

The mixture of drink-induced nausea and closed eyes (common sense dictates that if your eyes are closed, you _cannot_ see) caused Yanagi to bump into one of his numerous bookshelves, filled with heavy books.

The bookshelf dropped onto him, and boys don't get saved from falling books.

Before Yanagi slipped into unconsciousness, he decided to make his team drink anyway. He refused to be the only one to suffer.

_

* * *

The Emperor is associated with authority, achievement, and willpower; the opposite side of the Emperor is failed ambition and tyranny. The Emperor is usually a strong male influence, but power can always be abused._

Sanada Sasuke, Genichirou's nephew, had made a habit of jumping on his uncle's stomach whenever he woke up before Sanada.

He claimed that this treatment would prevent Sanada from looking even more like an old man.

Sanada begged to differ and would have hit Sasuke with all his considerable strength, child or not. If he ever managed to catch the brat.

He never had, but Sanada had tenacity. He would definitely give the brat the beating of his life someday.

A really far-off day.

One of the most closely guarded secrets in the Rikkaidai tennis team was that their fukubuchou regularly lost against a child half his height and a quarter his weight.

Another secret, kept from even the regulars of the tennis team by Sanada, was that Sanada had never won against his grandfather in kendo.

For such an old man, Sanada Gen'emon was exceptionally fit and spry.

Clearly, Sanada was a victim of child abuse, both physically and emotionally.

_Speak out before it's too late, Sanada-fukubuchou!_

Sanada was currently taking his feelings out on a practice dummy.

If the abuse to his body through extreme physical exertion was any indication, self-harm was obviously Sanada's response to the suffering he received at home.

If only someone had noticed sooner…

If only someone had noticed that something was wrong…

That day, the self-harm finally turned fatal.

_Stop child abuse._

_

* * *

All actions are dictated by the cards._


	4. Chapter 4

Ryoma woke up. On the floor, of all places.

Funny. He could have sworn he'd gotten hit by the truck. At least Karupin should be safe.

From the migraine that was currently plaguing him, perhaps being dead would have been preferable.

He stared straight up, arm shading his eyes, and noted the walls. Very high, sturdy-looking walls on either side of his body.

In front of and behind him, there were paths. However, he could only see them leading to more walls.

There was a compass somehow stuffed into his pants pocket. It might have been useful, if he had any idea where he was. He also noted that someone had stuffed something into his cap. It was rather uncomfortable.

He removed the offending object, which was composed of a flat surface with a screen and buttons beside it. It looked somewhat like a video game player, only simpler.

On the top was an on/off button, which Ryoma pressed, having nothing better to do.

The screen flashed silver, and words scrolled across it. Ryoma adjusted his cap and started reading.

It said, _Welcome to the Maze._

_

* * *

Twenty-two people, including yourself, have been selected as players to compete within this maze_, Atobe read, lips pressed together tightly.

He was incredibly angry.

How _dare_ someone kidnap him!

…Not that the attempt had not been made before, but the actual kidnapping had rarely taken place.

Besides, usually Atobe got out of pathetic efforts by poverty-stricken commoners with his usual grace, as befitting the heir of the Atobe empire.

Somehow, even kidnappers who were faced with Atobe's superior catchphrase tended to look taken aback.

Atobe had decidedly to start reconsidering his choice of employees, however. His last memory was of sleeping in his own bed and dreaming of making that Seigaku brat shave _his_ head, or better yet, beating him in a love game.

Then, he'd found himself waking up in a place utterly devoid of luxuries or human presence, for that matter. For one of the first times in Atobe's life, he was bereft of money and credit cards. He had found, so far, only the clothes on his back – a beautiful sleeping robe, by the way – a compass, and a strange machine that he was currently reading.

Within the endlessly high walls of his surroundings and the silver-white color of everything around him, Atobe felt almost like a rat in a maze.

He shook it off. No one would _dare_ try to manipulate or control him… would they?

The words across the screen scrolled through, and a new message appeared in front of the annoyed diva's eyes.

_There is no way out of here unless through death or by winning_.

Well, really! Atobe would definitely win, he was sure of that. He was the king.

…And Kabaji had better be around here somewhere. How else could he survive in comfort?

_

* * *

Please proceed to the starting point, where all players will be debriefed_.

Kirihara was both afraid and angry. When he'd first found the handheld machine, he'd wanted to smash it in a fit of pique. Luckily, his common sense had intervened.

He was slightly worried about Mura-buchou. He'd be fine, right? Kirihara was pretty sure that _he_ had died, and he hoped that Mura-buchou wouldn't be unhappy about it. He hated seeing his captain unhappy.

Furthermore, it meant that he'd never get to see his captain again. Worse, he'd never get his chance to play against his captain and _win_.

Well, maybe if he died, too…

Only, Mura-buchou was in far too good shape to just die all of a sudden, even with that disease that he'd gotten. Not to mention that his captain had overcome a mere disease with sheer force of will. Or something like that.

It wasn't fair at all, for someone like him to have gotten sick when someone far less incredible _should_ have gotten it. Like Niou-senpai, that trick-playing jerk. Or fukubuchou. Or that blue-eyed creep. Who plays tennis without being able to see, anyway?

Oh, yeah, everyone who plays Yukimura long enough. Well, that doesn't really count.

Kirihara was sure, anyway, that even if Mura-buchou died, he wouldn't come here. Kirihara had no illusions about where he himself was going. However, Mura-buchou would definitely never end up in hell.

It was too bad. He had lost every opportunity to beat his captain now. Maybe he shouldn't have eaten so many cookies?

Nah.

If nothing else, he'd definitely made sure that Marui wouldn't be able to get a single bite! Heh, that sugar-freak would probably die of disappointment when he realized that Kirihara had finished all of it off.

_First, take the path south. Keep walking until reaching the second westward path._

Well, what else could he do? Kirihara trudged forward, eyes beginning to turn a faint crimson from the sheer annoyance of being trapped there.

Within a few more directions, Kirihara felt completely lost. Everything looked the same, just an endless maze. He really hoped that the directions were leading him somewhere.

He kept on going, only he was starting to wonder. Who were the other twenty-one people?

* * *

Within the maze, there were several larger rooms strategically placed within. Some of them were larger, some smaller, and some had rather nasty surprises within.

There were people starting to gather within one of them. Twenty-two of them, to be exact.

Twenty-two middle-school boys, all of them more or less fit, came in one by one. They all appeared angry and, though most of them would never admit it, somewhat afraid. The majority of them seemed to recognize the others, immediately going over to chat. It would have been a casual get-together if not for natural hostility between rival teams and the knowledge that they were virtually prisoners.

Seigaku, Hyoutei, Rikkai.

A few fights broke out, quickly calmed down by the respective captains of the participants in the fights.

Then they started to realize that they had all died.

After a while, the machines that each boy held lit up again and a message appeared.

_Once again, welcome to the Maze_. _Twenty-two of you are here, but only one person will make it out_.

_Now, here are the rules…_


End file.
